The steps are 1, 2, 3 and then choose the places you want to upload. But back to the ‘why”.  The question would be why not?  Some people pay to test at company after company and not realize a couple of companies take uploads so you can expand your knowledge and matches without breaking the bank — or just take the steps slowly.

It is somewhat true there are differences in companies, and some do not take each others’ uploads.  And some only take uploads of certain DNA data, but it is well worth reading up on who takes what and then adding your DNA everywhere you like.

If you have not tested with the first DNA-for-genealogy testing company, Family Tree DNA, then you need to know the possibilities that you are missing. Family Tree DNA began in 1999 and was in full swing for commercial DNA-for-genealogy testing almost a decade before AncestryDNA and 23andMe. Since the last two are the big advertisers, many people never knew before that these services were available or that it could be so much fun to find and prove cousins genetically – besides finding closer family and now adding health and wellness.

But for Family Tree DNA, one day you might want to test there anyway to expand the reading.  BUT if you have already had your autosomal DNA tested at AncestryDNA (or MyHeritage) you can upload your raw data results to Family Tree DNA today!

Family Tree DNA offers not only autosomal testing, matching and genealogy tools – they also test the mitochondrial DNA (the maternal line mt-DNA) and the y-DNA which lets you trace your all-male paternal line back for centuries. (The mt-DNA is harder to use for genealogy because the women’s surnames change with every generation, but it still provides its own joy of reading.) Once you have uploaded to Family Tree DNA you can join y-DNA surname projects and y-DNA haplogroup projects.  You also have the possibility of matching male cousins from your ancestral lines if they have tested their y-DNA, so your research can benefit from what they have learned about their own y-DNA.

The steps for downloading your AncestryDNA raw data are easy. I suggest that everyone have backup copies of their DNA and even keep a copy on a flash/thumb drive or an external backup oanywhere else it will save. I have multiple copies from multiple companies with multiple versions of my DNA.

It is up to you to decide to add your DNA to other places or to pay for additional testing at added companies to get the additional matches and tools.  Once you decide, and if you want to add your DNA from AncestryDNA (if you tested there), then these are the steps!

https://www.ancestry.com/

IF you are reading this on a phone the pictures will never look the same, but I hope they will work as a guide. (I am still carrying my 15-year-old flip phone, but I will check my husband’s smart phone to see if these instructions will work as soon as I can):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now comes the waiting for the email to arrive in your inbox at the email address that Ancestry has on file for you.

I suggest this is also a good time to make sure your information is up to date. Because I have so many trees and am invited to so many I would need a new person just to read notifications so I use my settings to help me in research and help with time. I can turn on and off notifications from each tree and category of information. When I will be away or busy with other work, I can turn all notifications off and then back on when i like.

 

 

Finally I get the email after waiting for about three hours and I have my email with the link to download and the next few steps to save.

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.familytreedna.com/?idev_id=1773&utm_source=1773&utm_medium=affiliate

 

 

 

 

An extra link to the autosomal DNA upload page

https://www.familytreedna.com/autosomal-transfer

Now all that is left to do is wait for the upload to finish and you can let us know that you are happy with your results when they come in.